Fading of the Light
by Skormorak
Summary: Chance Hayes is a normal high school student at Twinleaf High. But when his world crashes around him, he transforms into a Ralts so that he may banish the coming darkness threatening to engulf the world. This is his struggle. This is his fight.
1. Massacre

**Disclaimer: I do not own Pokemon or anything related to it. If I did, I would write this story without a disclaimer and I'd own a beach resort. So there.**

**Anyway let me get the author's note out of the way. The character is based off of myself in real life down to personality and I was even gracious enough to give him my name! Aren't I the greatest? This story will be set in the Sinnoh region, starting in Twinleaf Town. But I encountered a bit of a difficulty when I sat down to imagine this chapter... Twinleaf Town just wasn't big enough for the story so I had to expand it by adding on just a few buildings. It's a long way to the next town after all, so what do the poor people do about shopping or education? Also, here's the speech guide.**

"Hi." - Normal speech or Pokespeech to humans (Such as "Pika pi chu" for example).

_'Hi.' _- Pokespeech as understood by Pokemon. (Do not confuse this with sarcasm or quotes; those are unitalicised.)

_"Hi."_ - Thoughts or muffled noises (Such as through a door).

_''Hi.''_- Pokemon Mind-Speak. (Unique to the psychic types under normal conditions; the tiny quotation marks distinguish this... And it's italicised.)

**Anyway, I must warn you, if you don't like long stories, please hit the Back button on your Internet browser (Or whatever equivalent you have) now. This is a long, long story full of chapters, full of fun, full of excitement! Anyway, enjoy if you're gonna stay.**

**This story is currently rated T for some violence and cursing. If I find due reason to change the rating to M, I'll do so.**

**Also, please forgive me for the long airsoft war. It was a necessary plot device.**

**-Skormorak**

* * *

_Fading of the Light_

* * *

**Chapter 1: Massacre**

* * *

Hey. My name is Chance Hayes. I don't really have much to say about myself... Well, alright, I guess I'll tell you a little bit. I'm pretty much your ordinary, run-of-the-mill, high school student. Nothing special. I'm five-foot-eight, I weigh 180 pounds, I'm broad-shouldered and muscular, and I've done pretty good in school and plan to major in writing in college. Are you really impressed? Currently, though, I'm a Junior at Twinleaf High and I'm preparing myself for the final exams, especially the dreaded Algebra II exam.

Right now I'm seated at the wooden table in my upstairs bedroom with an Algebra book, a notebook, a pen, and wondering how the hell I'm supposed to do quadratic functions. God, I hate you, quadratic functions.

"Ah, this looks promising. _A quadratic function is one of the forms f of x is equal to a x squared plus b x plus c where a b and c are numbers with a not equal to zero._ I think I can understand that. Pythagorean Theorem and all."

But then when I looked at the example problem...

"Holy shit. Where's the calculator?" I muttered as I shuffled aside my CDs and the Algebra book in hopes of finding the precious tool, but to no avail. The calculator was not on the desk. "Where the hell'd I put it!?"

I then heard a resounding boom on my door. _"Open this door, young man!"_

Oh, great.

Mom.

I scooted my office chair out from under the desk and opened the door. "Hi, Mom...", I said nonchalantly. I knew what was coming next.

"Don't you 'Hi, Mom' me! You know what we've said about your profanity. One more time and I'm cancelling your weekend!"

"Alright, alright, Mom, I'll quit cursing. But you know how much I struggle with friggin' Algebra!"

"No buts! You're lucky I haven't stopped you earlier or else you'd have more motive to quit; it's Thursday today!"

Great. I just had one little chance, one last chance to quit cursing, or else I wouldn't get to go to the airsoft war this weekend, which I had just signed up for! This would be my first time to join one of these fun little tournaments, and I didn't want to miss out. Everyone else thinks I'm wierd enough as it is anyway because all I do is sit in my room and read books. I don't even have a Pokemon yet and most of the students in my class do!

A Pokemon... The one thing I would crave most.

Almost all of the students still in Twinleaf with Trainer Licenses just stood by the starters that Professor Rowan gave out to newbies. A good number of them went for the local Pokemon such as the Starlies and Bidoofs. And only a few went the extra mile and caught something unique such as a Kadabra or an Onix.

But not me. I had, of course, went out into the wilderness on several occassions in hopes of catching something appealing to me. Something like a Ralts or a Riolu.

And on all of those treks, I had failed. Many times I considered just doing as everyone else did and getting the starter, but it just wouldn't feel as good to me.

It would be a treasured moment when I caught my starter by myself.

I sighed and shoved these wistful thoughts aside and returned to my studying. The seconds turned into minutes, the minutes into hours, and still I garnered no information from the puzzling maze of problems known as the Algebra book, especially since I lacked a calculator. I grew frustrated and slammed the book shut and looked at the clock.

"Holy, it's nine o' clock! I swear I started this at five!"

I shrugged and changed into my boxers and climbed into bed. Tommorow would be another day of the same old nothing. Oh well, at least I had the airsoft war to comfort me. I had recently gone online and ordered an airsoft Kar98k with a scope. When I opened the box, I was amazed to see how realistic it looked and I was surprised how anybody carries these things around in a field without getting arrested.

Heh, that's gonna be so much fun to shoot at people.

* * *

_The Next Day_

* * *

The alarm clock was faithful to its set time and awoke me at six thirty with a blaring alarm noise. I groggily ran my hand over to the clock and mashed the button. I sat up straight in my bad and stretched my arms with a yawn.

I stood up and went over to the closet, settling on a black 'Vader For President' shirt and blue jeans, then put on socks and my leather shoes. I ran downstairs, passing Mom who was sitting in a recliner with a cup of coffee. I went into the kitchen, opened the cabinets, and removed the box of Peanut Butter Crunch. I poured it into a bowl and poured milk shortly afterwards, then joined Mom in the kitchen.

"Morning, son. How long did the little scholar stay up studying for?"

Great, the usual derogatory 'little scholar.' I had no choice but to humor her with an answer.

"I stayed up until about nine."

"Oh, son, turn up the TV! This looks important!" Mom exclaimed. I picked up the remote and turned the volume up to about seventy five.

"This just in!" said the balding spokesperson behind the screen. "Team Galactic has opened up a new facility in Eterna City! The new facility is said to focus on converting the potent energy of Pokemon into forms usable by humans. This is an extremely important development but Team Galactic has meant with controversy and rumors lately."

The screen then shifted to a heavily wrinkled, sallow faced man with thin, wispy, grey hair. He appeared to be in his early seventies.

"My friend said to me recently that Team Galactic stole his Pokemon once when he was walking through Eterna Forest! And that's not all! He says he went into the building to protest and the workers just blew him off. And then he saw a wounded Riolu in a cage as he was walking out! We are going to be starting a protest march on the twenty seventh right in front of the Headquarters!"

"More on this at ten," said the spokesperson before the screen shifted to an advertisement for Pokemon food.

I then started to eat my cereal. It had finally begun to get soggy so I devoured it as quickly as possible. "This Galactic steals Pokemon, huh? Is that how they get candidates for research?" I pondered before I realized I had said it aloud.

"Oh, Chance", said Mom after a sip of coffee. "It's probably just another rumor. This sort of thing always happens when people use Pokemon for research. Pokemon Rights Activists... they've always been behind this sort of thing. Some suggest banning Pokeballs and making you earn a wild Pokemon's trust before you can keep it but that would be hard for all these excitable ten year olds. It's never going to happen. Although I wish we had one around here, it's always so boring around the house. And you're such a lonely person; you need more friends!"

There she goes again, subtly hinting at me to get a Pokemon as usual. But like I told you, I don't want an ordinary Bidoof or Kricketot. I want an exciting partner. I want a Pokemon who is fun to be around and one that I can develop a bond with. That's why, on my wilderness treks, I've studied the Pokemon's personality before deciding whether or not to capture it. Suffice to say, nobody's been compatible.

I finished my cereal and put the bowl and spoon in the dishwasher, snatched up my backpack, and ran the relatively short distance to the school. That was one of the advantages of being in a small town; there's always an important building in the vicinity that you don't need a car or bus to get to.

Outside, people and Pokemon were sitting around, talking of yesterday's boring (to me) events and just generally gabbing. I noticed my three best friends and went to sit with them. Yes, I only have three best friends. Laugh if you will.

"Hey, Cid, Mark, Phillip!", I called as I went to sit down at the foot of the tree they were sitting at. Cid was a short and stocky boy who wore old style clothing - button-up plaid shirts, blue jeans, and leather boots. Sitting in his lap was a Magnemite, its eyes closed and dreaming of something. Unlike most of the students, Cid did not keep his Pokemon in its ball as was required - the Magnemite was afraid of the interior of the ball so he always slept in Cid's backpack. Mark was the polar opposite of Cid - he wore the newest clothes and had the complete opposite build of him; whereas Cid was short and fat, Mark was tall and lanky. Sitting beside him was a Magikarp who was lying flat on the grass. Magikarp don't do so well outside the water before they become Gyarados. Phillip was of average build and always wore the same outfit - a leather jacket over a t-shirt with blue jeans and had a Pachirisu who was running around the tree.

"Ready for that airsoft war today, Chance?" asked Mark. "I just got my gun yesterday in the mail."

"Heh, sweet," I said. "What kind did you buy?"

"It's an M16. I tested it yesterday and that thing is beast."

Suddenly a bubble of water flew overhead and splattered against the tree. I looked up to see my nemesis, Jacob, about twenty feet away with his Blastoise glaring at me.

"Hey, nerd," he called out to me. I quickly jumped up from the ground.

"What's the meaning of this!?" I shouted. In the four years of our never-relenting hatred of each other, he had never attacked me or had his Pokemon attack me. "You know you can't have your Pokemon use moves up here!"

"You know I've never been one for rules." he replied with a grin. "Ah, and the nerd's nerdy friends come in to help." For at that moment, Cid, Mark, and Philip stood up. Jacob backed up a little but not in fear - it was more of a taunt than anything.

"Ooh, I'm so scared. The weaklings and their weak little Pokemon gonna help the nerd? Blastoise, Tackle!"

"Blastoise!" shouted the Blastoise. He got into a sprinting position and ran straight at us.

"Get down!" I shouted as I dove to the ground. Thankfully Mark and Philip had managed to do so as well but Cid wasn't so quick on his feet. The Blastoise rammed his shell into Cid's gut. I watched in horror as Cid, wide-eyes, spewed blood from his mouth. At this moment, I became painfully aware of all the students watching us and saw a few run inside. Whether to get away from the crazy Blastoise or to get somebody I don't know.

Then I saw a face I normally would hate to see; one that would normally incite the dreaded mental question 'Oh god what have I done?' but in this case allowed me a sigh of relief. Principal Orwell was standing on the front steps of the school, surveying the situation. His eyes widened when he saw Cid on the ground and his Magnemite floating above him in a panic.

"Recall that Blastoise, Jacob!" he shouted. Apparentally he too noticed Jacob's finger pointing at me, most likely to launch yet another attack. Jacob, with a fierce snarl on his face, pulled a yellow Pokeball from his belt and recalled the Blastoise. He then stared around at the hundreds of students in a very loosely knit circle, and motioned over his shoulder.

"What are you still doing here? Go on, get to class, the bell rang like a minute ago!"

The students hastily obeyed, scrambling up bags and recalling Pokemon as they headed into the building. We were the only ones left outside.

"Somebody...", he said tremulously, "Tell me what just happened out here!"

Philip slowly climbed to his feet. After stumbling for half a minute, he dusted himself off and helped Mark to his feet. It was Philip who spoke.

"Sir, we were sitting at the foot of this tree, just talking, when Jacob comes up. You know how he's always acting around us, always making fun of us. He's never normally tried to fight us but his Blastoise had just launched a Bubble Beam overhead. He then told the Blastoise to Tackle us and we dove to the ground, but the Blastoise nailed Cid and caused him to cough up blood."

Principal Orwell knelt down by Cid and examined him. He then hoisted Cid up and onto his feet.

"You'll be ok, son. Get yourself to the nurse's office and get cleaned up and go to class when you feel ready to."

Cid went into the building, leaving us standing outside. We could see the outrage on Jacob's face and that was clue enough that we should leave him alone for a while. Principal Orwell escorted Jacob to his office and dismissed us to class.

The rest of the day, everything else proceeded as normal. Cid was back about twenty minutes in first period History. He would have to wear a splint around his ribs until they recovered from the Blastoise. The only thing that was different was that everybody was talking about this morning's encounter; the Blastoise attack was now the subject of gossip. Jacob would not be back in school for ten days as he had been suspended, which was good news to me. And Mark, who was a really good artist, drew an epic picture of me facing down the Blastoise. I had to admit, he did a really good job and I pocketed the picture immediately. All in all it was a good day, even up to lunch.

We ordered hamburgers from the line and decided to sit outside on the steps in front of the school. As we were talking about our plans for this evening, a girl came up to us. I noticed she looked extremely shy and out of place; her pale skin suggested she was from a place with little sunlight. I guessed she was from Snowpoint as the constant blizzards almost always ensured little sunlight touched. She had beautiful green hair which was well combed and she wore a white beanie hat with a Pikachu head on it. Her outfit consisted of a white blouse with a blue vest over it and blue jeans with those really tall boots that come above the knee. I can't remember the name; I don't care what they're called, really.

"Umm, hi..." she said nervously as she approached. "Can I sit with you guys? Nobody inside seems to really want me at their table."

"I know the feeling. Come on, sit down. My name is Chance Hayes," I said as I extended my hand towards my friends. "... and this is Cid, Philip, and Mark."

She looked at Cid for a moment before an expression of recognition appeared on her face. "Oh! Weren't you the one mauled by the Blastoise this morning?"

Cid had a sheepish look on his face as he replied "Yes."

"I hate bullies. That guy who owned the Blastoise, he looked like a real jerk. It's the reason I moved from Snowpoint. This one guy kept on beating me up so we packed up and moved to Twinleaf."

"Yeah, me too," I said politely, "That guy's been giving me misery for four years. If I had a Pokemon and it were strong enough, I'd have beaten him and that stupid, ugly turtle of his years ago."

We ate for the rest of the alloted twenty minutes of lunch. I could not help but notice that she was almost like me. She, too, had problems with people rejecting her; be it because she, too, was odd or not is of no concern. There was a fire in her eyes when she told me of why she moved, as though she also wished she could put an end to wicked people. However, when the bell rang, I came to a realization.

"I never even asked for her name..."

* * *

_After School..._

* * *

I was at home, getting ready for the airsoft war. I had put on many layers of t-shirts and a heavy, thick coat and many layers of underpants as well as two layers of blue jeans. I had on two layers of gloves and three layers of socks complete with thick leather boots. In an airsoft war, getting shot with little plastic pellets hurts. Getting shot with many plastic pellets hurts. Getting shot like fifty times with an AK-47 airsoft gun _really _hurts. So I needed as much protection as possible.

The Kar98k was on my bed, ready for action. I had tested the firing mechanism to make sure it worked perfectly. It did, so I was ready. Only one thing was lacking; head protection. I put on two wool hats one on top of the other then topped it all off with a face mask. I was ready.

The war would be taking place at Lake Verity, which was right outside of Twinleaf Town. It was a pleasant spot normally used for getaways in the summer or romantic dates year round. This time, it would be used for a fun little war.

After telling Mom good-bye, I set out the door and up the road which would take me out of town. The trees were really nice this time of year with leaves adorned with such pleasant shades of green it was as if the woods themselves were rejoicing. It was a nice and calming, if rather short, walk to Lake Verity. I was then there.

Lake Verity was in sight.

It was a sprawling body of water that went as far as the eye could see. The water gave off a cooling royal blue hue that spoke of how long it had been here, how royal and impressive it was, and how humanity should respect the creatures and Pokemon of the sea.

And on top of the hill overlooking the lake was like fifty people. I saw Mark, Philip, and Cid. Mark had his M16 ready, Philip had an M60, and Cid had a Barrett M82 rifle. The field was set up with sandbags as walls on each side and we each got two 'medic' areas where players who were out would have to wait until the next round. We then split up into two teams of twenty five and scattered throughout the field and the woods. I hid in a bush just inside the tree line and watched through my scope.

A horn was soon sounded and of the other team, only about fifteen ran out. That meant there would be ten snipers. I raised the rifle to my shoulder and took aim at one guy with a PPSH-41 replica and fired. Because of his poor attire, he quickly fell down. However, I did not count on him raising it up and firing it at me with one hand! The pellets peppered my jacket in numbers. It stung like hell. I would be out for the round and would have to be returned to the medic area.

"I'm hit!" I shouted as I fell to the ground. Yeah, the rules stated somebody would have to drag me to the medic area. Good idea, because some idiot would probably try to shoot at me as I was running. Soon, a weedy looking boy had me by the arms and was pulling me away. I kept a tight hold on my rifle as I soon was dropped in the medic area. Mark soon joined me.

"They got you too? What happened?" I asked.

"I was hiding behind the sandbag wall and this guy sneaks up behind me and taps me with his bayonet."

"Wow, so cheap."

"Yep."

The round soon ended. Somehow, our team had won this round despite three fourths of our guys being down. This match would be Capture the Flag, in which a big flag would be placed in the center of the field. However, the person with the flag would not be able to shoot his gun, so teammates would need to protect the capturer.

We all got into position. I got back into the woods and hid behind a very thick bush. It would be impossible for somebody to get me unless they had seen me and knew what I would do. I pulled the bolt back to reload and waited for somebody. A young boy of about twelve ran out with a replica revolver and was firing at somebody that I couldn't see. I looked through the scope and aimed for his torso. I then held my breath in and fired at the boy, pumping my arm down in triumph as he fell down. He was not the only one. I shot the guy who ran out to drag him back to cover.

Gradually, the battlefield leveled out as more and more players were downed and our team judged it safe enough to move out and get the flag. I moved up and took cover behind a sandbag wall and crouched down, waiting for the enemy team. One of our guys picked up the flag and began to run back to our base. The others who were with him began to run, firing their airsofts behind them whenever they could. However, it was not without losses. The flag carrier was downed and Cid picked up the flag, running as fast as he could. I fired my rifle and hit one guy in the leg. He fell down, leaving only two on the other team's side. Cid ran to the base and planted the flag, then raised his fist in the air with a resounding "Yeah!"

The next match was just a generic 'storm the bunker' match in which we would have to go in and get their flag while defending our own. My rifle wouldn't be much good for going in and storming, but I could just stay where I was and defend our base.

However, as I stayed in my spot and was watching the field, I noticed something off in the distance, just out of the corner of my eye. It was a large blur of grey and silver. I turned my attention towards them and noticed it was a large army of people with grey and silver bodysuits. On the center of their torso was a large, gold badge adorned with a capital 'G'. They all had the same type of gun, all M16s and Pokeballs at their wrist. At first it was a bit wierd but then I thought it might just be a large airsoft clan from another town, probably hearing about the potential of this spot. But Pokemon weren't allowed here; we weren't going to be allowing them to go around tapping people and knocking them out of the match. I shrugged my shoulders and steadied my aim on a guy passing. I got my finger on the trigger when...

Poke

I turned around to see a female Gardevoir. What was strange was that she was in an obvious sort of fear. I could not fathom why; there was no true violence going on here and she could read my mine to see such. But she motioned me as though I would surely die if I stayed there.

"What is it?"

"Garde! Gardevoir gar gardev!" she shouted and pulled me by the arm. I sighed and strapped my Kar98k over my shoulder and ran into the woods with her. She led me into a clearing with a Kirlia, whom she briefly conversed with and then we all ran together.

"Where are you taking me!?" I shouted as we went deeper and deeper. We were getting further and further from the airsoft war and I could not fathom why. We soon stopped in front of a cave. It was furnished with two mats and a stash of nuts and berries against the wall. On the wall was a torch resting in a small groove, somehow lit despite there being no matches or lighters or anything around that could start a fire. I went in with the Gardevoir and Kirlia, who both sat down against the wall. I just stood there until the Gardevoir's red eyes glowed an eerie blue and knocked me down to the ground. She had just used Psychic against me, if only to put me down against the wall. I really wanted to get out of here, but some part of me told me it would be in my best interests to stay in the cave.

"Tell me what the hell's going on! You just abducted me from a game that I had been waiting a week to play and you send me on this trek through the woods."

The Kirlia looked frightened and hid behind her mother. She turned her eerie gaze upon me as though she was just recognizing me for the first time. "Gardev! Gar voir de gardevoir! Gardev!"

"I can't understand yo-" I started to say but then I heard an explosion from far away, followed by gunshots and the sound of... screaming? I jumped up and started to run but was hurled against the wall by her Psychic again.

"What's the meaning of this? Something's going on back there and I need to get out of here!"

The Gardevoir looked angrily at me and began shouting in her strange, alien language. "Gar! Gardev voir dev garde! Gardevoir!"

_"Ok, I think I can interpret that. Does she mean that she was saving my life? How could she have known? Do those guys in the grey suits have something to do with this? Damn! I can't stand here just waiting and not knowing! My friends are in danger and there's nothing I can do from here!"_

"Gardev," said the Gardevoir. "Dev gar voir gardevoir."

I could not understand the meaning of her words but then suddenly I could remember... something that was not my own memory? I saw the field we were playing airsoft at, but those people in the grey and silver suits were firing their guns at anybody in sight. And they were opening their Pokeballs and releasing their partners. Why? There would be no need for Pokemon at the airsoft war. I was just about to open my eyes and curse the Gardevoir for taking me away like this. But then I noticed something about the weaponry of the men and women in the grey and silver bodysuits.

They were not airsoft guns.

Those were not plastic pellets coming out of the chamber.

These were real, authentic machine guns, firing high caliber rounds at anybody in sight.

It was utter horror and chaos. The bullets fired from these grunts lodged themselves deeply into any they hit, making no distinction, stopping for no plea of mercy. And the Pokemon of these men ruthlessly turned themselves against any human they saw. Many of the people I knew were falling, no... _dying_ before my eyes. And the Pokemon of these people either ran away into the forest or stayed to defend their partners of life, their Trainers... These Pokemon were captured by strange steel nets that were fired from the bottom of the guns these men and women had. And it was all falling around me... I stood horrorstruck before the chaos, witnessing the destruction of the world I had known.

When I opened my eyes, I realized I was crying. The Gardevoir put an arm around me and comforted me.

I made no mood to return her affection.

For several minutes, we sat in the cave, just staring at each other hopelessly. Yet behind the somber expression on the Gardevoir's face, I could see that she seemed... happy I was here? It looked as though... oh how do I explain this? It looked as though I was a long lost person from her past and she was just now meeting me again. But I'd remember a Gardevoir... wouldn't I? Nobody at the school owned a Gardevoir and I had never seen one in person anyway.

Eventually she handed out some Belue Berries. I could not understand why she thought a human would like these. We have our own berries like blackberries and strawberries but these sorts of berries were the things only a Pokemon could possibly eat and enjoy. Humans have been foolish enough to try Pokeberries as they are commonly called, and often spit them out right away except for those few weird types you always get. Still, I was hungry and had not eaten since lunch which was like five hours ago, so I accepted the berries and quickly popped them into my mouth. They were very soft, but really sweet with a hint of spicyness. I could not understand how I just ate those but I did.

Man, if any human saw this they would be laughing.

"Arceus, am I a freakin' Pokemon in a human body?" I muttered to myself. The Gardevoir just merely laughed.

The minutes turned into hours and the sun slowly set across the sky. The gunshots and explosions and noises of battle had ceased a while ago and I worried... I worried for the safety of my friends. I worried for my mother, the last and only parent I had. I worried for the poor Pokemon of the people and hoped that some managed to escape. I thanked Arceus for my narrow escape and that Gardevoir was there at just the right time. I unshouldered the airsoft Kar98k and put it up against the wall.

All of a sudden, I could hear voices from outside. Gardevoir, Kirlia, and I all uprighted and stared outside. I did not know whether this was the soldiers or people coming to search for survivors, but I knew I was never less welcoming of human company.

_"Dammit, Sargeant, what's the point of us coming out into the woods? We got all the good Pokemon back in the field; there's no need of us coming into this waste of space!"_

"Kirlia?" questioned the Kirlia. She was scared of the human with the deep, throaty voice and tugged at her mother's dress. "Kirlia?"

"Gardevoir." said the Gardevoir as she moved the Kirlia's hand from her dress. She got up from the ground and stood proud. I marveled at the sheer beauty of her form; she was graceful but terrifying to behold in her anger. Kinda like a warrior queen...

_"You know how many Pokemon wandered off into the woods! If we find any of the rarer ones like a Riolu or a Dratini, we'll get a good paycheck! And that's not all! If we let this opportunity get away, our experiments will be rendered useless! It takes a lot of Pokemon for this sort of thing!"_

_"But Sargeant, I think Galactic's policies..."_

_"Screw the policies! I am your superior, in rank and ability! You will obey me or it's back to PFC for you, understand me, Johnson?"_

"Galactic?" I questioned myself softly and tremulously. "They're the ones responsible for this?"

Now I knew. The old man on the news was right. Galactic was an evil and terrible organization who would use any means necessary to steal Pokemon, even if it involved spilling innocent blood!

And then a terrible rage boiled in my heart. I made an oath to myself on that moment, that if I could, I would avenge this massacre. I would avenge the lives of the people killed at Lake Verity and would rescue any Pokemon being held by Galactic. What does anything matter now when I may be next? Nothing! I have to do something!

_"Sir, let's look in this cave. Maybe there's one or two in here?"_

The Gardevoir and Kirlia both froze on the spot. But I, on the other hand, had a different reaction. I picked up my airsoft rifle by the barrel, ready to use it as a club. I was ready to defend myself.

I was ready to kill.

But then Gardevoir held out an arm.

"Gar."

Two of the Galactic soldiers walked into the caves, their rifles pointed forward.

"Well, well, well, look what we've got here. A teenager and his Pokemon, hiding in a cave. I've got to admit, you survived longer than the others. But nobody escapes Team Galactic.", said the Sargeant.

"Get away...", I said throatily. "You're nothing but a murderer... You fiends!"

"Hah! Fiends! Do you hear that, Johnson? He thinks we're fiends!"

And then both the Sargeant and his underling began to laugh. That alone enraged me. Gardevoir held out my arm, sensing my anger like all members of the Ralts line do, but then I did something I never thought I would do in my life.

I ran forward and swung the airsoft rifle and smashed it against Johnson's neck. As his vertebrae snapped, the last thing he saw was the inhuman anger on my face.

Never in my life would I forget the horror on the man's face. He wasn't much older than I am now. He was probably only twenty, twenty two at the most.

And I was the one who extinguished the flame of his life. I felt a mixture of remorse, pity, and anger... Is this how people who have been forced to kill normally feel?

"I regret it."

"Oh, Arceus!", shouted Sargeant Trey as he knelt over to examine his dead underling. "You bastard! Nobody kills a Galactic and gets away with it!"

Then he held up his rifle... and pointed it at my chest.

And then he pulled the trigger.

I looked in horror as the bullet traveled at an inhuman speed and lodged itsself in my torso. Blood spurted from the wound in far greater quantities than those of Cid. And the cave... The sky... The grunts...

All fading to black... My life was slowly ending.

"Gardevoir!" screamed Gardevoir, as she supported me in her lap with my head raised. "Garde!"

"Please... You've got to get out of here...", I said with my dying breath. "Don't... don't let them get you and your little Kirlia."

"Gardevoir!" she said, shaking her head.

"Hah!" shouted Sargeant Trey, "They're not going anywhere but to Galactic HQ!"

He then fired a steel net which entangled the Gardevoir and Kirlia. And I swear I saw a tear shed on the young Gardevoir's face. She was going to a place of no return; a place which would be as good as the Galactic men were ruthless. It was strange; this Gardevoir and her little one felt like a family to me, however brief my stay was. I felt like I belonged with the two Pokemon, however different we were.

Through the narrow slits of my partially closed eyes, I could see him drag off the net that carried Gardevoir and Kirlia.

"And as for you...", said the Sargeant with an inhuman rage in his voice as he looked back at me. "You die here, as a warning to all who oppose Galactic."

So this is it, huh?

I never thought I would be called to die early...

But I felt a sense of pride that it was I... I, Chance Hayes, made the first blow against this evil organization! And others would come forward and fight.

But what would become of Gardevoir and Kirlia? They said it was 'experiments' going on at Galactic HQ. If these men are ruthless enough to kill, they couldn't possibly care for the safety of the Pokemon they steal.

Arceus, let Gardevoir and Kirlia survive where they are going...

Please...

Then I finally shut my eyes for the last time. But just as I was leaving my body and flying upwards, I was stopped!

_"What's going on? Why am I not going anywhere?"_

_"Little one, it is not yet your time. For your true destiny has not yet been realized and you have so much to accomplish!"_

_"Arceus?"_

_"Not in my physical manifestation, but yes. You are such a brave young man and you must live. The fate of all dimensions depends upon you."_

_"But... I'm already dead."_

_"Not quite. Look upon your body, and return to it. For I, Arceus, Guardian of Pokemon, grant you the ability to return to your earthly life this once."_

I then felt myself being sucked back into my body. My dying organs then restarted themself as they were pumped full of blood. I quickly bolted upright with a jerky motion. The bullet had somehow dislodged itsself from my chest and was on the ground soaked in blood.

And miraculously, inside the hole I could see muscle tissues stringing back together as skin grew from skin and sealed itsself back together.

But that was not all... My skin was turning whiter and whiter by the second. And everything around me seemed to be getting larger and larger.

"What's going on!?" I asked myself. "Why's the room getting bigger? And what's happening to my skin!?"

Then I could feel my internal organs and bones reshuffle and reshape themselves. The organs for the most part stayed the same but the bones shrank and rearranged themselves. Out of my head came two horn-like projections. I reached up and felt them.

Then my hair began to extend, growing down to beneath my eyes... and turning green?

"Oh no... No, no, no! I can't be turning into... _that!?!_"

My eyes suddenly grew wider; not only from fear but from the rebuilding of my body. My hands changed, too, as the fingers shot back into the now stubby and noodle-like arms I now had. The toes on my feet shot inwards and 'projections'...I say this for lack of a better word... shot backwards from my feet. The last change was my voicebox. I could feel it deep inside me as it took on its new shape.

The change was complete. I slowly stood up and examined myself in the red puddle of Johnson's blood.

"Ralts!?" I shouted before I passed out.

* * *

**Ooh, interesting plot development, eh? Do tell me what you think with a review! I worked really hard with this and pushed my literary abilities to their limit. I hope it satisfied you and don't worry; every chance I get I will update this! I've been planning this for months and am NOT letting a good opportunity go to waste. Please do not hesitate to email me at if you find an accident or a typo or if you really just want to give me in-depth critique! I do plan to be a writer someday and knowing what the people think is utterly important!**

**-Skormorak**

* * *


	2. Aftermath

**

* * *

Disclaimer: I do not own Pokemon or anything related to it. If I did, I would be making the games and I'd not be posting stories on Fanfiction! So there!**

**I am so terribly sorry I haven't posted any chapters! I've been so busy with various things such as my new Runescape membership, my Xbox dying, and Algebra taking up the majority of my week! I've really been meaning to write this, but wasn't able to find the time! But I always keep my promises and return to you with another chapter of **_**Fading of the Light! **_**In the last chapter, Chance Hayes thought it would be a normal day like any other when suddenly his life is turned upside down as Team Galactic massacred the people at Lake Verity. He was only rescued when a Gardevoir and her Kirlia escorted him to safety. **

**But things did not end well, or so it seemed. For Chance was shot by one of the Galactic sargeants, but thanks to Arceus' helping hand, he was able to return. However, seconds after coming back to life, he transformed into a Ralts! What caused this transformation? Will he ever see Gardevoir and Kirlia again? Who knows!? I'm not telling you this stuff early on in the story; I have enough planned for twenty to fifty chapters! You'll find out in due time. Here's the speech guide, which will be your friend throughout the story. You'd do well to memorize it.

* * *

**

"Hi." - Normal speech or Pokespeech to humans (Such as "Pika pi chu" for example).

_'Hi.' _- Pokespeech as understood by Pokemon. (Do not confuse this with sarcasm or quotes; those are unitalicised.)

_"Hi."_ - Thoughts or muffled noises (Such as through a door).

_''Hi.''_- Pokemon Mind-Speak. (Unique to the psychic types under normal conditions; the tiny quotation marks distinguish this... And it's italicised. You'll know this is happening as somebody will understand the Pokemon speaking.)

* * *

**Please remember that when a character has his name in italics at the head of a selection, it is in his or her point of view. I'll be using this all throughout the rest of the story.

* * *

**

_Fading of the Light

* * *

_

**Chapter 2: Aftermath

* * *

**

_Chance

* * *

_

I slowly came around many hours later. How many? How should I know, I was unconscious! But it was sometime in the middle of the night, as the cave was illuminated by the rays of the moon. But there was some green grass coming down from the ceiling that was obscuring most of the view. I slowly leaned up against a wall. For some reason, the grass was... following me? I reached up to swat the grass out of my eyes, thinking it was caught in my hair.

"Ral!?" I shouted. For my hand was no longer a human hand with fingers, but a small, white stump. I jumped up in shock and examined myself.

I had a small white body with stumps for hands and feet that ended in... tatters. It's pretty much the only way to describe the projections that emanated from the backs of my feet. The green "grass" I was trying to swat away was actually my hair, now extended below my eyes. And coming from the top of my head were two small, red horns. I could not possibly be much more than a foot tall.

I pushed the hair out of my eyes and looked around. Everything was as it was left yesterday. The bodies of Sargeant Trey and Johnson still lie spread-eagled on the rocky ground of the cave in their puddle of blood. My airsoft rifle, which was now longer than I was tall, lie on the ground, the butt of it caked in blood.

I moved over to one of Gardevoir's mats after I finally managed to grab some of the Nanab berries out of the pile. It took a few tries but i figured out that by clutching the berries in between my arms, I could carry them fairly well. The problem came when I tried to eat it, so I just ate off the mat.

The berries were soft and sweet, tasting almost like bananas but a little different. The sugaryness of them relieved the fatigue in my muscles and raised my awareness as strength returned to my small body.

As I ate, various thoughts came over me; the thoughts of revenge, the hopes that Gardevoir and her little Kirlia were ok, but most prominent was the thought that my life would never be the same again.

There was no place in human society for me now... I would never be able to sleep in a house again. I would never eat human food, I would never partake of human entertainment, and I would never see my mom again... Even if I got 'lucky' and got a trainer, he would likely be one of those excitable children who would not see me as a friend, but as a means to an end for him hopefully making it to the League. My life was a broken mess.

_"All because of those bastards," _I thought to myself. _"Because of them, I am dead to my mother... and I..."_

Tears fell down my white cheeks as I tossed the last berry aside. Although I just wished to lie in the cave and cry, I knew I could not drown in sorrow. I would have to get moving if I was to return home. I needed to see the news and find out if any of my friends had survived.

_"And when that's done..."_

_"Galactic is going to fall!"_

I rose from the floor and left the cave, careful to avoid falling in the blood of the fallen soldiers.

* * *

_Myra Evans

* * *

_

I dried my body off with a towel after I got out of the shower, then wrapped my hair up in a towel for it to dry. Smiling, I put on my undergarments then changed into a pair of blue pajamas. I went into my room and jumped onto the bed.

I then reached over and pulled out a book from the nearest bookshelf. _Brisingr _by Chistopher Paolini, one of my favorite authors. Some of the girls said I was strange for reading the book; supposedly it was considered wierd for a girl to read the _Inheritance _books but I didn't care. I truly loved them.

I turned to the part of the book I had left off at; the part where Eragon blasts open the gate with his new sword. I quickly lost myself in the epic tale, marveling at how Paolini portrayed the battle of Feinster.

About twenty minutes later, the door quickly opened and slammed against the wall. Mom was standing there, an expression of horror on her white face. My eyes widened and all I could ask was "Mom? What's happened?"

"Oh, Myra, dear... Please come quickly, this is awful!"

Wondering what could send Mom into such a panic, I leaped out of bed and quickly followed her into the den. The television was flashing the words "Emergency Broadcast" across the screen.

I sat down in a comfy armchair by the fireplace and turned up the volume on the TV. Mom just sat there, the same look of horror never leaving her face.

A well dressed black man was standing beside Officer Jenny. This police officer never failed to be anywhere a crime occured; she was Chief of Sinnoh Police and did her job very well.

"Today, as many as fifty to sixty teenagers were massacred at Lake Verity near Twinleaf Town. Only three survivors are reported and one person is missing. Officer Jenny, would you care to tell the viewers the details?"

Officer Jenny took the microphone from him. "The teenagers were all either shot with high calibur machine gun rounds or wounded by Pokemon. We believe this is the work of a powerful syndicate, and encourage parents to keep their children inside at all costs."

The man cleared his throat and spoke again. "The Sinnoh Police Department is conducting a full investigation into what is being called the Lake Verity Massacre. The three survivors are Cid Alridge, Mark Polenski, and Philip Johnson. None of the three boys are injured in any way."

"Phew, they're alright!" I said to myself as I wiped a bead of sweat that was trickling down my face. "But what about Chance?"

The screen then flashed to a picture of Chance Hayes. Myra let out an audible gasp that did not go unnoticed by her mom.

_"Chance!?"_

"Ashton Chance Hayes, age sixteen, weight one hundred and ninety. He is the only person not included among the death count and survival count. If you have seen him in the past four hours, please call your local police station. You could win up to one thousand dollars in cash from the Sinnoh Police Department. Please note that we only want your information, not your name."

Then the TV focused back on the man. "In accordance with this news, Twinleaf High has announced that school will be closed for the last four days of session and final examinations will not be held; all students get a hundred on their exams."

I could care less about this; all that I know right know is that I'm worried.

I'm worried about the one person in Twinleaf who had first shown me kindness when others had not. I could see the sorrow of a decade in his eyes when I first met him and knew that like me, he too had suffered rejection early on in life despite being a kind person.

"Chance..."

"Please be safe," I said as I went upstairs to go back to sleep. Just before I got in bed, I prayed to God and the Pokemon Guardian, Arceus, and begged that they protect Chance.

Little did Myra know that while she was watching TV, a certain Ralts was watching from the window.

* * *

_Chance

* * *

_

I was sitting on top of a closed trash can, watching the news from my perch. How'd I get up there when I'm not even half the garbage cans? Turns out the owners of this house had left some boxes outside which I used to my advantage. I had stacked them up and jumped from one to the other.

I was relieved to know Cid, Philip, and Mark were safe, but sad that I was being searched for. The police would never find a body, because there wasn't any. I felt pity and sadness for my mother and the unfortunate (but false) news the police would have to bring her.

I also felt sad that I could not reassure Myra, as I found out she was called from my eavesdropping, that I was safe. Such a sweet girl. She would be one of the few in this town who actually wished for my safe return.

I jumped down from the trash can and landed on my fours on the grass below. I got what I had come for; now I would set out to the next town. I did not know where my journey would take me, but hoped that fate would be kind enough to throw some Galactic agents in my way. It was time for me to move on.

As I walked down the street, however, I could not help but notice a bright light coming from behind me. I thought nothing of it, as it was probably just someone coming in late from work, and the lights didn't seem to be coming my way. But what was stranger was that I could feel a sense of agitation coming from the same direction. How? Can Ralts feel emotion or something? I shrugged my shoulders and kept on walking, but then when I noticed that they were coming my way, I ducked out of the way and landed on the grass. It was a girl on a motorcycle.

It was Officer Jenny.

For a second, I thought I had dived in time and hoped my green hair would offer some camouflage. However, it didn't work. She had knocked down the kickstand on her motorcycle after pulling to a stop and walked my way.

I jumped up and smiled at her with a sheepish grin on my face.

"Hello, little Ralts. You're out pretty late. Where's your trainer at, little fellow?"

Great, now I'm being called 'little'? Sheesh, lady, not my fault I'm only a foot tall. All I knew was that now, I was trapped. Police officers were one of the people with the authority to catch wild Pokemon and put them up for adoption. Supposedly, it was to keep them off the streets. And I was _not_ looking forward to being some little ten year old's tool.

I decided to run for it.

"Oh no you don't, Ralts! You're coming with me!" she shouted as she ran after me.

I thought I was pretty fast.

Officer Jenny was much faster. I felt a Pokeball hit me in the back of the head.

I was stuck! I tried to pull against the red beam of light that threatened to engulf me! I was not giving up without a fight! But fighting the beam was useless. I could not fight it, and was pulled into the Pokeball.

It was not any different from what it looks like when a human's looking in. There was the red on top and white on bottom, and it was roomy enough for me to move around inside a little bit, but not enough for comfort. At least the bottom white part was padded. But there was no denying it...

I was trapped!

Alone... The world was gone, and there would be no telling when anybody would free me from this prison!

I was alone!

* * *

_Myra Evans

* * *

_

I woke up the next morning and changed out of my pajamas into my usual outfit; a white blouse with a blue vest and blue jeans. I put on my socks and then pulled up my knee-high boots, then went into the bathroom. I pulled a comb down from an overhead cabinet and combed my long, green hair until all the kinks were out. When I was satisfied with my hair, I smiled and put on my Pikachu beanie, then went downstairs. I put on my backpack and was ready to run out the front door when I noticed Mom smiling.

"Oh, I forgot school's out now.", I said with a blush on my face as I returned my backpack to the coat rack. I then went in the den with her, where she was watching TV. The same reporter from last night was on again this morning, covering the Lake Verity massacre. I listened with bated breath, my attention never faltering from the screen in front of me.

"We have just recieved a death count here. Fourty six deaths, three surviviors, and one missing. For those of you watching, Ashton Chance Hayes is sixteen and weighs about one hundred and ninety pounds, reported missing. If you have seen him in the past four hours, please call your local police station. You could win up to one thousand dollars in cash from your local Sinnoh Police Department. It has been brought to our attention by one of the survivors that he was in a spot where he might have seen the attackers. Reportedly, when they heard the gunshots, they jumped off into the water and hid, so they could not have seen the gunmen or their Pokemon."

My head drooped as I heard the news. He's still missing, so many lie dead, and these attackers are gonna get away with murder!

"I wish I could do something, Mom!" I finally shouted. My breaths were heavy and my chest heaved up and down with every breath.

"We can't do anything, Myra," she said as she put her hand on my shoulder. "We just have to trust that the police can find them."

"But, Mom, they supposedly are a huge organization according to the news! Remember Team Rocket? The guy that got them was only ten years old, and there were these two idiots who kept trying to steal his Pikachu! Then he finally one day tied them up and got the location of their headquarters from them!"

"That's true, dear, but..."

"Mom, they could come back and attack our town! Suppose we're next! I... I don't want to lose you, Mom... I've already lost Papa."

The tears began to fall down my face as I recalled that painful old memory. My dad was in the Sinnoh Marine Corps. and served in the squad that finally captured Giovanni. The news was brought home that he was shot by a sniper when he stormed Giovanni's office. I remember that for weeks, I was dead to the world.

"Listen, Myra. You're only sixteen..."

"Sixteen! And that Ash Ketchum was not even twelve, and he beat Team Rocket!"

"You don't even have a Pokemon! How are you going to even defend yourself if somebody attacks?"

"Then I'll just go down to the Pokemon center and adopt one, and we'll get better on our journey together! We'll fight trainers and Gym Leaders and together, me and my partner will become not only the strongest team in Sinnoh, but also hope for the people! There will be more attacks just like this, Mom, and I want to do my part!"

My mother looked at me thoughtfully. "Myra, come with me," she said, beckoning me with her hand. I followed her and we stopped in front of a wooden door.

"Have you ever wondered why I always kept a door locked wherever we've lived at?"

"Yes, Mom, and I always thought it was stupid."

"Well, honey, I once had dreams of greatness, and like you, I would not sit by while the world was crumbling in front of me."

"Wha-?" I asked as I looked at her in a new light. I had always loved my mom and always looked up to her as a person, but never did I think she had ever become much more than a successful caregiver.

She then put a small key in my hand. "Open the door, Myra."

I inserted the key in the lock, turned it, removed the key, then opened the door. I gasped.

Inside were two small velvet boxes that lay open on a pedestal, eight Gym Badges glimmering inside. In the background lay two military-issue rifles, well kept and oiled with a box of ammo in front of them. On top of the pedestal, just in front of the box, were five small purple balls with an M across the top half of them.

_"Master Balls..."_, I realized as I picked one up carefully and examined it, then set it down again. Judging from the fact that no Pokemon had ever walked this home or the one in Snowpoint, I guessed they were all empty now.

"Mom..."

"Long before your time when your father and I were in our early twenties, we were both madly in love. We joined the Sinnoh Marine Corps. and traveled the region, conquering gym after gym together. When the time came, we did our duty to our country and fought against Team Rocket. Remember how I was gone for a week before Dad died?"

Realization then came over me. _"She was there when he died!"_

"I'm technically the reason your dad died... I gave the order for us to run in and attack. However, when we stormed Giovanni's office, he was shot and killed by a sniper. The sniper then turned a machine gun against our Pokemon and our squad. I managed to kill him, but he took our Pokemon's and your dad's life. I'm so sorry, Myra."

I could see the tears running down her face as she said this, and realized how difficult it was for her.

"If I was not so eager for the mission to end, we would have found an entrance to the balcony and killed the sniper. I'm so sorry... I never intended for it to happen. You're just like we were, you know. You never did let anyone get away with anything... Myra, this is going to be the most dangerous journey you'll ever take in your life. So I ask you, Myra. Will you forgive me, and take my blessing with you on your journey?"

I gasped as I realized that for once, I was finally going to leave the nest, and not be under Mom's ever-watchful eye.

"Yes, Mom. I forgive you. And I gladly take your blessing."

"Myra, please realize that above all, caution is the most important ideal to have about you. Don't do anything reckless, or you'll end up in Dad's position. Please, Myra," she said as she gently stroked my hair.

"Also, do not let anyone lead you astray and turn you towards evil. Many of the criminals in this world were good people that were misguided. Any man that you fall in love with is welcome in this household as long as he is loyal and true to you."

"I will, Mom."

"Now, let's go see about getting you that Pokemon," she said as she took the key from me and locked the door. We then walked outside of the house and down the street to the Pokemon Center.

We went up to the glass doors which automatically slid back to permit us entry, then went inside.

Pretty much the only people who used this Pokemon center were the local children and teenagers; rarely did they see anybody from abroad. This town was considered unimportant to the badge-hungry trainers but the occasional adventurous trainer did drop by.

_"And they'll be seeing a lot less business after the massacre."_

We went up to the counter, where a pink-haired woman in a dress sat in an office chair; her Chansey was up on top of the counter. This was Nurse Joy; one of many throughout the country. I don't honestly know how somebody could have so many children and they all be twins. But they were generally courteous and kindly.

"Hello Mrs. Evans," she said politely to Mom. "What brings you here?"

"We're here to get Myra a Pokemon. She's heading out on her journey after all this time, God bless her!"

"Well, then, let's get your daughter fitted up!" said Nurse Joy as she led us into the back room. We followed her down long corridors and past medical bays; these were where severely wounded Pokemon went that could not be healed by the machine up front. She then opened a door and led us in.

The room was fairly dark, even with the light on overhead. I marveled at all the shelves that seemed to take up the bulk of the room. It was just like a library, but instead of searching for a book, I would be searching for a Pokemon.

"Take your time," said Nurse Joy. "Finding the right Pokemon is a task that can take hours."

I went up to one shelf and took down a blue Pokeball. I pressed the button and threw it to the ground; the ball then flew back to my hand. Out of the ball, a Chimchar materialized.

"Chim?"

"Oh, how cute!" Mom squealed. "You should get that one!"

"Char!" shouted the Chimchar as he fired a Flamethrower move at me. I squealed and jumped out of the way, then threw the ball at it. The Chimchar was dematerialized by a red beam of light as he was pulled back into the ball, and I breathed a sigh of relief.

"I don't think a Chimchar's the one for me," I said as I returned the ball to the shelf.

For the next hour, I opened up Pokeballs left and right, but none took my fancy. There was a particularly lazy Abra who fell asleep as soon as he was let out of the ball, and when I woke him up, he stole my beanie with a Psychic. I opened up yet another one and a particularly violent Mudkip drenched me with a Water Gun. Then I was dried off by a Vulpix who decided to playfully use Ember on me. I could only scowl as it rolled around on the ground, laughing its head off. After returning it, there was a Bidoof that was really happy to be out; I found myself tackled to the ground.

"This is hopeless..." I groaned as I returned the Bidoof to his ball and the ball to the shelf.

"Don't give up, darling," said Mom. "You'll find one eventually."

I sighed and picked up a plain Pokeball from the shelf to my right and threw it to the ground.

Out came a small Pokemon with a tiny white body, a green bowl cut, and two horn things coming from its head. And it was so adorable! I squealed out loud and picked him up in a big hug.

"Ralts?"

* * *

_Chance

* * *

_

Everything was happening so quickly. First, I was in the confines of that horrid ball, then all of a sudden, I was free and found myself in a bear hug by Myra Evans! The sense of... empathy I had picked up as a Ralts was allowing me to feel the overwhelming joy emanating from her. I was curious about what was going on. Was I being adopted or something?

"You're just soo adorable!" she screamed as she tightened her grip around me. "You're definitely the one for me!"

So I _was _getting adopted! This was the best I could hope for under my current circumstances. I knew that under Myra's care, I would be well cared for and I would not have to worry about being a tool to be used by an excitable new trainer. Thank God and Arceus for that.

"Ralts!" I exclaimed cheerfully as I returned the hug. We were both in a state of incurable joy; she had found herself a Pokemon who would be loyal and true, and I had been released from that accursed ball!

"So is this the one you want, Myra?" asked a woman with pink hair. I recognized her as Nurse Joy and waited for Myra to say those three wonderful letters that when united would sign the contract signifying my freedom.

"Yes," she said.

"Then please recall him back to the ball, and we'll register him as yours."

Myra held up the Pokeball as if to throw it at me! There was no way I was going back in that thing if I could help it! She threw it at me, but I quickly ran and took cover behind the shelf.

"Hey, Ralts! You've got to get in the Pokeball if we're going to be friends!"

Never. If she wanted to get me in that ball, she was going to have to work for it! I ran down the rows of shelves, Myra chasing after me. We kept up the chase for a number of minutes until she finally had me trapped in a corner. I was trapped and I was going back in the Pokeball after all!

"Now, Ralts. Let's just make this easy."

"R-ralts!" I shouted as I shook my head 'no.' Inside that Pokeball, I would be trapped for possibly hours a day until she was ready to release me. And though I loved confined spaces, I only loved them if there was an exit!

"What's the matter? Are you afraid of the Pokeball?"

I shook my head 'yes' as I stood in the corner shivering. Not only was the room cold, but my fear was escalating as I knew the inevitable was coming.

"Nurse Joy, do you know why he might be afraid of this ball?"

The nurse stepped out from behind a shelf. "It could be any number of things. Some Pokemon are claustrophobic, while others simply feel trapped with no way out. It's quite common."

Myra then turned her attention towards me again. "Ralts, is that why you don't like the Pokeball? You're claustrophobic?"

I shook my head 'no' yet again. It was getting annoying, not having any way to communicate but with gestures.

"Then you feel trapped?"

I nodded.

"Nurse Joy, is there any way we can register him without him having to be in a Pokeball?"

Nurse Joy pondered for a second. "We could have you fill out some paperwork, but it's a pretty long sheet. Most trainers just recall them and we register them with the Recovery Machine up front."

"I can do the paperwork, Nurse," said Myra as she scooped me up into her arms. "We're in no real hurry."

We then went out of the room and into the front lobby of the Pokemon Center. Myra, with me still in her arms, sat down on a sofa with her mom as Nurse Joy went behind the counter.

"I'll be back with the paperwork in just a second, dears," she said to us as she opened a filing cabinet.

I could feel a soft hand comfortably running through my green hair. I craned me neck to see Myra happily stroking my head. "We're going to have such a good time together, Ralts, I can feel it!"

I smiled and leaned against her chest as she continued to stroke my hair. I believed her words; they were gentle and kind with a soothing voice to back them up.

"We're going to travel Sinnoh and we're going to see the world! We'll become the strongest team in Sinnoh and people will say our names with reverence."

"Ralts," I said in agreement, wishing I could still speak English. I hated not being able to say anything interesting at all; just my own name.

"But the main reason we're going off on a journey is because something horrible happened yesterday..."

Oh god...

My mind was surrounded with memories of yesterday. Again, I could see the teenagers of Twinleaf draw their final breaths as they watched their Pokemon get captured. And there was Gardevoir and Kirlia through my own eyes as I was slowly dying! And if I was right, she too was going after Team Galactic!

"It was on the news... At a lake near our town, Twinleaf..."

I could tell by her wording that she thought I didn't know human culture and the names of towns. Until I could find a way to effectively communicate, I would be dealing with this for quite a while... And one of my biggest pet peeves is people thinking I'm ignorant or unknowing of things.

"At the lake, Lake Verity," she continued as she stroked my hair. "Fourty six people were slaughtered. They were shot with guns and nobody knows who did it. I want to go out and find who did it, because the news thinks a large group did it!"

How I wished I could tell her what I knew! I sincerely wanted to help for I knew the identies of those murdering bastards! But because of my inability to communicate, I could not do anything!

Nurse Joy then returned with a large stack of papers and a fountain pen. Myra began filling them out with me still in her lap. I sat there while she filled it out. The process took a long time as the minutes went slowly. She then got up and took the papers up to the counter, where Nurse Joy stamped them then handed them back.

We left the Pokemon center on foot as we went back to Myra's house.

"So, Myra," said a woman who resembled Myra so much I took her to be her mom. "How do you like your new Pokemon?"

"I love him so much! He's really sweet and so adorable! He kinda looks like a little green mushroom!"

"Ralts ra ralts ral!" I shouted at Myra angrily. I was not going to be compared to a fungus at all, even if one wasn't much shorter than me! And a _little _mushroom at that! Arceus, do I look like I chose to be a midget!?

"Sorry, Ralts!" she said. At least she can understand me to a limited degree, thank God.

We went through the door and into Myra's house. It was a nice house decorated with pretty furniture. Myra's mom certainly knew how to decorate.

"Myra," said her mom as she pulled Myra to the side.

"What is it, Mom?"

"I know you're eager to start your journey, but I think you should give it about a week before you head out."

"What!?" protested Myra. "Why!?"

"Because those killers may be in hiding out in the woods nearby, and I'm not letting my daughter go to her own death just because I didn't stop her. Also, you would get a chance to bond with your Ralts, which would help matters. You seem to be getting along very well, but you seriously need to use this time wisely. A strong team is one in which all members know each other so well they can fight together as one person."

"You're right, Mom," agreed Myra, though I could not help but sense her anxiety; she really wanted to head out into the world and could not wait for the first second of it. "I'll wait a week."

"Good, Myra! So what are you going to do?"

"I'm going to go and show Ralts my bedroom, then we'll take a nap and go to the park afterwards!"

We went up the well-polished staircase and through a wooden door.

I gasped as I went into Myra's room...

It was well kept... But it was girly!

On her bed was a pink blanket with various _cute _Pokemon adoring it and a similarly pink pillow. Her curtains were a hot pink color and were complimented with fancy red patterns. Above her bed in the upper-right corner was a cloth hammock filled with plush toys. I could recognize most of them as anime characters such as Ryuk, Inuyasha, and Ichigo. And to continue the anime theme, there was a Death Note and a Fruits Basket poster on her walls.

_"Great, Myra's a girly-girl who also happens to be an anime nut."_

However girly her room was and how much I felt out of place in it, I was glad to see she had a bookcase right beside her bed. Apparently, like me, Myra was a bookworm and judging from the placement of her bookcase, she loved to read while in bed. When Myra set me down on her bed,

I saw a bright light out of the corner of my eye. I turned and saw...

_"A computer!"_

If I could just find a way to get up to the computer, I could type out a message to Myra! But there would be no way I could get up there. Most of the stuff in Myra's room was too tall or heavy for me to climb or move, and of those that I could probably climb or move, they were up too high for me to reach. I groaned as I realized I would have to wait for an opportunity to get to it. But there would be no telling when, because I did not know Myra's cleaning habits. Even if she did knock something down to my level or conveniently leave things out, she might be one of those who quickly picks it up or puts it away. She probably was, judging by the cleanliness of her bedroom.

"So, Ralts," said Myra. "What do you think of my room?"

I decided to be as honest as I could with my linguistic ability. It was a nice room, and I did like the layout and the cleanliness of it all. It had a lot of the comforts of my own room, such as the bookshelf and computer, even though I could not access most of it.

"Ralts!" I said with a smile.

"I'm going to change into my pajamas and we're gonna take a nap, ok?"

And then Myra began to undress. First, she removed her beanie. Next came her vest, followed up by her knee-high boots. Then she removed her blue jeans and her shirt! Underneath the clothing, she was a well built girl with the sexy hourglass figure most craved, with... a developed chest. I nearly got a nosebleed from the sight.

She noticed my wide eyes and went over to me.

"What's the matter, Ralts?"

"Raaalts," I said in a daze. I had never seen a girl quite so beautiful in my entire life. If only I were still human, I'd...

_"Control yourself! You're a Pokemon now, not a human! She wouldn't want you anyway; you're more adorable than sexy now. And humans spit on Pokemon/Human relationships..."_

Finally she put on a pair of soft-looking, well laundered blue pajamas. Then she picked me up off the floor and put me in the bed right beside her. Remember my earlier fears that I would be a tool of war; nothing more, nothing less? How I would never get to sleep in a house, how I would never get to enjoy the comforts of human society? Sure, the concerns about never eating human food (I didn't know if a Ralts could eat the stuff, similar to how a dog cannot eat chocolate, you know?) or never getting to see Mom again were still there, but I could rest easy now knowing that I was the partner of the kindest, sweetest, and most beautiful person I had ever known.

I snuggled up to Myra and closed my eyes.

* * *

_Myra Evans

* * *

_

I finally woke up later that day and could feel a warm lump across my chest. Opening my eyes, I looked down and saw Ralts curled up to me. I smiled as I stroked his soft hair then climbed out of bed. I stretched my arms then yawned, then went over to my dresser. I removed my pajamas, folded them, then put them in the dresser and put on my normal outfit. When I had all but the beanie on, I went into the bathroom and combed my hair. I then sprayed it with hairspray and put on my beanie.

I was feeling pretty hungry, so I ran downstairs and into the kitchen. Mom was nowhere to be seen, so I assumed she was taking a nap. I opened the freezer and pulled out a TV dinner; cheese ravioli! I put it in the microwave for two thirty then decided to find something for Ralts. We had never had a Pokemon in the house since before I was born, so we had no Pokemon food. I then remembered Nurse Joy had given me two cans of the stuff, so I went into the den and got a can of the food. I opened it with the can opener and ladled some of it onto a plate. When my food was done, I got a glass of milk then ran upstairs. Ralts was still sleeping.

"Come on, Ralts. Wake up!"

* * *

_Chance

* * *

_

I could feel an arm shaking me. I rubbed my eyes like I always do before I opened them, then looked up. Myra was standing there with a plate of what looked like beef and a plastic dish which had ravioli in it.

"Come on, Ralts. Wake up!"

"Raaalts..."

I slowly sat up in the bed and she set the plate in my lap. Whatever kind of meat this was, it looked good. Although, personally, I would prefer the ravioli. Deciding not to soil my hands, I put them under the plate and lifted it up with them, then ate with just my mouth.

It was very good indeed. It tasted like the kind of beef you get in beef stew, sauce included. I scarfed down the food as quickly as I could because the only thing I had yesterday was berries and that does nothing for an appetite unless you've got a stockpile.

"My, you're very hungry, Ralts," said Myra with a laugh as she ate her ravioli. "You're gonna eat the plate _and _the Pokemon food!"

Pokemon food!?

I quickly spit out the hunk of it I had in my mouth. I was eating that stuff and I was _enjoying _it!

"Raa..."

"Was it something I said?"

_"No, but you just tried to poison me, Myra! Dear Arceus, I can't believe I ate that shit!"_

"You were just eating it happily but when I said you were gonna eat the plate and the food, you spit it out! That's like what happened when my Mom was eating Vienna sausage and I told her how it was made. You're a very strange Ralts."

"Ralts."

She then passed her plate to me along with a paper towel. "You can finish my lunch if you'd like."

"Ralts!" I said as I began to eat. It was difficult eating the three large raviolis left in the tray because the sauce coating them made them difficult to pick up with my fingerless hands. I eventually did eat them but I was coated with tomato sauce; the paper towel didn't help matters much.

"Oh dear," she said as she stared at my red-stained skin. "Guess who's gonna need a bath?"

"Ralts..."

"That's right!"

* * *

**Don't you just love it when your day goes wrong like this? At least poor Chance has a good home now. I hope you loved this chapter of **_**Fading of the Light **_**and if you found some humorous moments, then you'll love the next chapter. Please do not hesitate to email me if you find an accident or a typo or if you really just want to give me in-depth critique! I do plan to be a writer someday and knowing what the people think is utterly important!**

**-Skormorak

* * *

**


	3. Adimaro

**

* * *

Disclaimer: I do not own Pokemon or anything related to it. If I did, I would be writing this for money and you'd see the story in stores as a book. There.**

**They're finally over! Exams are done, I've passed for the year, and I'm going to be a senior next year! Once again, I got myself out of another sticky Algebra situation! I can finally start writing to my heart's content once again. I've become aware that every time I post a website or a link, Fanfiction blocks it out of the document before I post it. So you'll have to email me from my profile.**

**Last chapter, Chance returned to Twinleaf Town. He managed to spy on Myra's TV and to his joy, his three friends had survived the massacre! This small factor would not spare Galactic however; Chance held a vendetta against them and was ready to ensure that the victim's sacrifice was repaid... in blood.**

**But lo and behold, for Chance was captured in a Pokeball by Officer Jenny! But thankfully, Providence would allow him to be released, for Myra was to be his chosen partner. He was to be adopted.**

**Myra would not stand by while those murderers carried on about their lives peacefully. But she fought for different reasons than Chance. He sought to kill... to murder... Myra only sought to defend the people of Sinnoh and prevent another massacre. In any case, she adopted Chance from the Pokemon center. **

**In a week, their journey was to begin.**

**Now here's the speech guide. You'll need this to understand language as soon it will take full effect.

* * *

**

"Hi." - Normal speech or Pokespeech to humans (Such as "Pika pi chu" for example).

_'Hi.' _- Pokespeech as understood by Pokemon. (Do not confuse this with sarcasm or quotes; those are unitalicised.)

_"Hi."_ - Thoughts or muffled noises (Such as through a door).

_''Hi.''_- Pokemon Mind-Speak. (Unique to the psychic types under normal conditions; the tiny quotation marks distinguish this... And it's italicised. You'll know this is happening as somebody will understand the Pokemon speaking.)

* * *

**Please remember that when a character has his name in italics at the head of a selection, it is in his or her point of view. I'll be using this all throughout the rest of the story.

* * *

**

_Fading of the Light

* * *

_

**Chapter 3: Adimaro

* * *

**

_Chance

* * *

_

I was being carted in Myra's hands out of her room and through another door adjacent to her bedroom. She opened it up and there it was.

The bathtub.

Oh, how cruel! I was going to be bathed as though I was a baby! It isn't my fault I don't have hands, Myra. I _literally_ can't help it if I can't eat clean, but can't you just get it all off with a towel or something?

_"Oh, there I go with my wishful thinking again. I know as well as she does a towel won't help, not with this mess all over me."_

"Alright, Ralts, I'm gonna get the bath started, so just stay right here!" said Myra as she opened the cabinet under the sink and pulled out a soft red towel. I could either suffer humiliation or I could hide. I chose to hide.

While Myra was humming to herself and adjusting the water temperature, I slowly stepped inside the cabinet, careful not to bump my head. However, there was not much risk of that, since there was about six inches to spare. Thankfully my short stature did offer some advantages.

I could hear the water run to my right. The bath was going to be ready soon, so I tried to pull the door to. It would have worked, but for God's sake, they just had to shut with a loud creak! I moved further inside by the sink pipes so Myra wouldn't see me.

_"Huh? Where'd that Ralts go?"_

I wiped sweat from my brow (And incidentally tomato sauce onto it, as well.) as I wondered how she couldn't hear the cabinet door shut. My relief was soon dissipated when she opened the door and looked in.

"Oh, you're such a silly Ralts!"

"Ral! Ral ra rals al ralts!?" I protested.

"I heard the door creak, Ralts."

_"Did she... Did she just understand me!?"_

"Come on out, Ralts. It's time for your bath."

_"Guess not."_

"Ralts, come on. The water's running and you're not going anywhere with that sauce all over you. Come on out."

"Ralts," I said as I shook my head 'no.' I was not going to be treated like a baby even though one wasn't any larger than me.

"If you don't come on out, I'm going to get this toilet plunger," she said as she held up the plunger, "And stick it on your face!"

"Raaalts..." I said with a sigh as I walked out of the cabinet. I felt myself being scooped up by Myra and placed into warm water.

Oh, how shameful! Here I was reduced to a baby, being bathed like one, with my Trainer hovering over me with a bottle of shampoo in her hand! She squeezed a hunk of the blue goo into her hand after she wet my head and then began to lather it!

"Let me know if it gets in your eyes, Ralts," she said as she continued to hum whilst lathering. Although I didn't like having to stand up in the water to avoid drowning or the humiliation of being bathed like a baby, I was just now realizing that I _was _dirty and smelly. Just standing at waist height in the water, I could see dust and dirt coming off my slight figure and dispersing in the water. I sighed and allowed her to rinse the shampoo from my head, being careful to close my eyes as the mixture of shampoo and water came down over my face along with my green hair. My hair did now feel soft and smoother than before, and I thanked her for it. Or at least I would, provided I could talk.

_"And I would, too, if I could speak to her. She's done so much for me already and I'm being selfish!"_

"You look pretty happy, Ralts," said Myra with a giggle. "Did somebody change their mind about their bath?"

"Ralts!" I agreed. It was the closest I could get to a thanks right now.

She then lathered soap onto a washcloth and then began to wash me, above and below the water. The tomato paste clung to the cloth, however, and twice she had to rinse the cloth under the water. But eventually it was done and my white skin was back to its pristine state. I was lifted out of the water and dried off. She then set me on top of the counter, right beside the sink.

"Ok, Ralts, I'm gonna dry you off and then we're going to the park!"

Myra then reached onto an overhead shelf and pulled down a pink hairdryer. Figures when you're living in a house with a grown woman and her teenage daughter. She plugged it into the wall and began to dry my hair, ruffling my hair with her fingers to help it dry quicker. I closed my eyes as she moved to my bangs, where she spent a little time afterwards with a comb, fixing my hair back to that awful bowl cut.

"We're done, Ralts! Let's get ready and we're going to the park."

Again I had to behold her half-naked as we moved to the room. She changed back into what she was wearing before the nap and into her Pikachu beanie.

"Ralts, you want to ride on my shoulder?"

"Ralts."

She picked me up and put me on her shoulder, and together we went downstairs and out the door.

* * *

_Myra Evans

* * *

_

We walked down the street together, me and my Ralts, basking in the sunlight and reveling in each other's company. Ralts was sitting on my shoulder, looking around at the empty streets with a strange look on his face. I couldn't tell what it was... Curiosity? Sadness? No, he definitely wouldn't have any reason to be sad, would he?

"You notice it too, don't you? It's just too empty."

"Ralts."

I didn't understand how he would know that these streets were normally full until I remembered something I once heard about Ralts.

_"Of course! They can sense their trainer's emotions and thoughts! That explains his mood. I'm noticing the empty streets, and he's picking it up from me."_

I sighed as we kept on walking down the road past houses and the Pokemart, unused to the empty streets. We had only been here since last weekend, but during that weekend, these streets were normally full of garrulous children, teenagers, and even adults. I figured that they were now barricaded inside their houses. However, I changed my mind when we finally arrived at the park.

There were two teenagers who were sitting on a bench listening to an iPod and talking to each other. One was clutching his Bidoof tightly; the Bidoof looked quite apprehensive. Even the Pokemon were scared the attackers might come back and finish off the town, it seemed. The other was clutching a sleeping Piplup tightly to her chest, and I was just then noticing that they were leaning on each other.

_"If only... If only I could have someone to love me like that... That girl's so lucky; she probably doesn't even know what she's got..."_

I sighed longingly and stood in the same spot for like ten seconds until I felt someone tugging at my hair. I looked over to see Ralts pulling on my green locks.

"Raa-aalllltttsss... Raa-aalllltttsss..." he chanted. I could assume he was saying my name from the tone and the way he was pulling.

"Oh! Right!"

I set him down and he went over to a little obstacle course; parks across Sinnoh often had these little obstacle courses for both children and Pokemon alike. It was truly a place where two species could come together and have fun. Too bad I was too tall for the course, or I'd join him.

I watched Ralts squeeze through a pipe and come out the other end where he landed in the soft sand. He got up on his feet and climbed up a ladder. For the next couple of minutes, I watched him get through the obstacle course. He wasn't very good, I have to say. It was as though he was... unused to his body? Maybe Ralts was a baby after all; a bright baby as I had seen, but one nonetheless.

I sat down on a bench and smiled as he struggled with the monkey bars. Eventually he just climbed on top of it and balanced his way across the wooden beams holding the vertical bars.

Pleased that Ralts was having a fun little time, I looked around at the other people in the park. There was a boy on the swing who was being pushed by his ever-watchful mother, who looked as though she'd rather not be here at all. And leaning up against a tree was a man with long blond hair who was wearing a grey and silver suit. On his chest was an ornate capital G which reflected the sun's rays; it had been polished recently. I could not help but notice his effeminate facial and body features; he had a thin face and a slightly curved body.

_"Some people are strange."_

I turned my attention back to the obstacle course; green hair with red horns was poking out of a pipe towards the end. Ralts tumbled out and into the sand headfirst. I laughed and ran over to him, helping him up to his feet.

And then Ralts turned his head in the direction of the feminine man, and his normally nonchalant and peaceful face was replaced with a look of fear; his eyes were so wide that not even his long bangs could cover them up.

"Ralts? Are you alright?"

* * *

_Chance

* * *

_

_"There's one here! For the love of Arceus, there's one here in Twinleaf, and I can't even defend myself or run away because of this damned body!"_

"Ralts? Are you scared of him?"

I nodded as again, my mind was tormented with visions of yesterday's massacre. Again, I saw people dying as once again, the bullets ruptured and penetrated through their clothing and into their flesh. I saw those poor Pokemon being rounded up yet again, for purposes God only knows. There was the motherly Gardevoir who stood to defend her brood and the stranger whom she was protecting... for reasons I would never know.

The man then walked over towards us with a strange sort of deliberation and determination; it was as if he had a motive which he had carefully planned out and was now executing. I took a few steps back and tripped in the grass.

Damn this klutzy body.

"I must say, woman, that is one fine Ralts you have," said the man as he stood not less than one foot from Myra.

_"Get back, Myra! For the love of God, get back, now! You don't know what this guy's gonna do!"_

"Yeah, I've noticed you've been 'admiring' him. Can't you see you're terrifying him? Get away from us!"

"Touching. Your attitude is admirable, but you would be wise to show me some respect!" he roared as he pulled out an assault rifle from under his coat. He aimed it at me, and pulled a bolt on the side.

A net fired out of the end of that rifle, and entangled me! I instantly recognized it from Lake Verity, and a shiver came over my body as I realized that I was going with this man to his headquarters.

There would be no vengeance for me, no chance to bring down the foul organization who used any means necessary to get Pokemon, even if it cost human lives. I cried as I sat down in the net and accepted my fate. Pretty soon, he would be detaching the net from the gun, and I would never see Myra again. I closed my eyes to the last sight I would be seeing for a while... people running from the park in terror from the crazed man with the assault rifle.

_"I'm sorry, Gardevoir..."_

_"I failed you."

* * *

_

_Myra Evans

* * *

_

"You! I know who you are now! You're one of the people who killed those guys at Lake Verity, aren't ya!?"

"That's Colonel Adimaro Mikhailov to you. And I am indeed the one responsible for that. It's a disappointment we had to kill so many, but it was necessary. We needed those Pokemon."

"You're cruel and heartless! How could you kill people just for their Pokemon!?"

"Those Pokemon are necessary for our experiments. This Ralts will serve a nobler purpose in the evolution of humanity... Oh, yes, he'll live, but I can't say it'll be pleasant. But as for you," he said as he dropped the net and aimed his assault rifle at me, "You're already dead."

I squealed as I saw the black chamber of the gun pointing at my face. "No, please stop! Why are you doing this!?" I protested as I fell backwards onto the ground.

"I've told you too much as it is. Can't have you informing the military or the police, can we? Oh, but don't worry. I'm pretty sure God will allow you to see the new world that our organization builds from above!"

* * *

_Chance

* * *

_

I opened my eyes with a jerk when I heard what Adimaro said. He was going to kill Myra! More tears streamed down my face when I saw that she was helpless on the ground and he was pointing his assault rifle at her. I now observed it was a heavily modified AK-47, fitted with the same net mechanism I saw on the guns that were used at Lake Verity.

_"But that doesn't matter! There's nothing I can do to save her!"_

"Please, just tell me one thing!" squealed Myra as she backed up further.

"Ah," said Adimaro as he slowly walked forward, his gun's aim never moving from Myra's head. "And what do you want to know?"

"Why are you killing people for their Pokemon? Why can't you just go catch them?"

"Since I'm going to kill you anyway, I don't see any harm in telling you. Galactic has rediscovered the art of making Shadow Pokemon. Yes, we could go and catch them if we wanted, but Pokemon who are captured from their trainers are much easier to change into Shadows. For the process involves torture not of the body, but of the soul! They lose all hope, consciousness, and kindness they ever had. They become war machines, who kill ruthlessly, fighting on past wounds that would have killed any normal Pokemon! We shall use Cypher's work and rule the world!"

"But how do you control them if they're so ruthless?"

"We implant nanomachines into the base of their skull that gives us complete control over them. As long as the nanomachines remain, they are our slaves in every way!"

"You're evil!" shouted Myra as tears ran down her smooth cheeks.

_"Good, good. Myra's buying time! C'mon, aren't Ralts' psychic!? If I could just... Wait, what's this!?"_

In my head, I could feel something that had long lain dormant... shifting. It was as if there was a mental barrier that had been holding me back all my life and all of a sudden, the barrier was destroyed. I could feel a sudden surge of power, and laughed as I realized that I had unlocked psychic abilities! Because of this change, I could sense emotions from an even greater distance... and I swear I could pick up a bit of a thought from Adimaro.

I began focusing my powers, channeling my strength into energy for an attack. It was really hard work, because not only was I born human, and therefore unaccustomed to using Pokemon attacks, but my Ralts form had very little physical strength to use. However, I poured as much energy as I could, taking it from the top of my head to the tips of my feet. My eyes were glowing a bright blue. I then cast the energy at Adimaro's mind and caused him to float about twelve feet into the air.

"What the fuck!?" screamed Adimaro as his AK-47 fell to the ground, landing in a nearby bush. I released the move and he fell to the ground, shouting all the way. As he landed, I heard the sickening sound of bones cracking. I winced as I looked over and saw that his gun arm was bent at a ninety degree angle out of its normal position.

"D-damn you!" shouted Adimaro as he struggled to get to the ground, his arm no longer angle to support his weight. He eventually did get up from the ground, however, and pointed at me. "This isn't over yet! I will capture you, and you will serve our order diligently!"

He ran off into the street, headed towards the woods. Great, one had gotten away from me! At least I was able to make him suffer.

However, I was now realizing just how much my Confusion had taxed my abilities. My body fell over limp into the net, and I struggled for breath, panting and wheezing. The world was going dim as my eyes were closing. Myra ran over to the net and started shaking me vigorously, trying to keep me awake.

"Come on, Ralts! Please, you can't go to sleep, you'll die! Please!"

_''Myra...'' _I said to her before realizing that I had actually poured a little of my Psychic energy into those words and that I was directing them at her mind. Her jaw dropped as she just dropped me and stared, and my eyes went wide as I went to sleep.

* * *

_Several Hours Later...

* * *

_

I awoke later that day in a familiar bed. I slowly opened my eyes and looked down to see a familiar pink blanket. I looked around the room and realized where I was.

_"Myra's room..._" I realized as I sat up in the bed. I rubbed my eyes as I struggled to remember what happened...

_"Oh yeah! We were at the park and then that Adimaro guy captured me... But then something happened... I unlocked my powers and was able to break his gun arm! That's what it was! But there was something else. Something about Shadow Pokemon. Dammit, if I could just get to that computer, I could look it up."_

_"Wait, he said they were made by torturing their souls and implanting nanomachines... That's Galactic's plan! They plan to amass an evil Shadow Pokemon army and take over the world!"_

I was beginning to see my true destiny at last. After sixteen years of a monotonous human life, I had been given a chance to change the world... for the better. Throughout the years, various criminal organizations such as Team Rocket, Magma, Aqua, and now Galactic have sprung up throughout the world... The first three only stole Pokemon to try and conquer, but they avoided violence, so they were more like terrorists in that regard. But Galactic is actively killing humans for their Pokemon.

_"Why, though, when Adimaro said that it worked better if the Pokemon were captured? Oh, yeah! Maybe the trauma of seeing their trainers die drives the Pokemon over the edge and allows it to become a Shadow Pokemon easier."_

And there was one more thing... Somehow I was able to communicate to Myra in those moments of desperation! Simply by channeling energy into my words and directing them at her mind! I cheered aloud as I realized this meant I could tell her everything...

She could know who her partner really was and who he fought for... She could learn the truth of the massacre, of how the Pokemon were also stolen, and of my transformation. And most importantly of all, I could tell her who the attackers were!

The door to the bedroom opened, and Myra stormed in.

"Ralts! Thank Arceus, you're alive!" she said as she pulled me into a rib-bruising bearhug. I returned it as best as I could, for I still felt a little weak.

"I've been so worried about you; you've been out for hours and..."

_''Calm down, Myra, I'm alive and kicking.''_

And then I saw a girl jump five feet into the air that day. "Oh my god, you did it again! Ralts, how are you talking like that!? I thought Pokemon couldn't talk to humans, not even with Pyshic powers!"

_''It's time you sit down and listen to my tale, now that I can talk freely again. Come on, sit down beside me on the bed.''_

Myra sat down at the far end, still confused and curious.

_''Good. First of all, this is Chance Hayes.''

* * *

_

_Myra Evans

* * *

_

Chance... Hayes?

Did he just say what I think he just said?

"But Chance is..."

_''I'm not missing, nor am I dead, Myra. It's a long story, but first let me tell you who the attackers are who were behind the massacre. The organization that killed those fourty-six people is none other than... Team Galactic.''_

"Team... Galactic? I thought they were trying to find new sources of energy, not go around killing people!"

"Ralts," he said as he shook my head in the usual no. _''Not true. On the surface, that's the facade they hide behind, but in reality, they are a terrorist group who steals people's Pokemon and try to turn them into Shadow Pokemon. Not that I know much about those. But it is because of them that those fourty-six are dead, and it is for those forty-six that I fight.''_

"But there's no way you could be Chance..."

_''Oh, but I am. I remember everything from yesterday. I remember how you came and sat with us because you felt rejected. Truth is, all my life until now, I always felt that way as well. You seemed just like me, but... Unlike me, you were strong.''_

_''I'm not as strong as people have ever made me out to be. In reality, I was a coward, always running from my problems; never stopping to stand and face them. I've always suffered from the same problems you did, but unlike you, my refusal to stand and face them has left me broken. People've always been afraid of a coward. Heh, the irony.''_

Chance walked across the bed and sat in my lap, looking up at me with his deep, thoughtful, red eyes. I had no words left to say. "Ralts," he said as he touched me on the arm.

_''But something about you just... struck me. When I was out of that ball the first time, after being captured, I was so happy to see it was somebody kind and somebody who did care.''_

"I believe you, but how did this happen to you, Chance? There's nothing that can change people to Pokemon, unless it's some divine prank.

_''Sad thing is, you could say that was what it was. I went to the airsoft war and we were having a good time shooting each other. I had a gun with a scope on it, so I saw those people coming. They were all wearing the same uniforms, and the large G badges, and they all had guns, so I just thought it was an official team coming to join our game. What we didn't know was that those guns were real.''_

_''However, shortly after, a Gardevoir siezed me and we ran with her Kirlia to a cave where we hid out for several hours. I can't begin to tell you about her. She was so sweet and kind, and actually seemed concerned about me. It was as if she'd known me from many years ago. She cared for me as if she was my mother. I really want to find her, Myra. I want to find them both.''_

_''And now the part you've been waiting for. Two Galactic soldiers stormed the cave and found me there with the two Pokemon. I killed one of them with my airsoft rifle by breaking his neck with the butt of it. However, the other one shot me and I was dying! I was leaving my body just as all the Near Death Experience accounts say. But then Arceus stopped me.''_

"Arceus?" I questioned, not really overly surprised as a talking Ralts already broke my boundaries of what I considered 'weird.'

_''Yeah. He stopped me and said my true destiny wasn't yet realized and allowed me to return to my body. But when I returned, I was transformed into a Ralts!''_

"Do you know why?"

_''I think it has something to do with the fact that a teenager alone can't take on Galactic. But a Pokemon with a knowledge of human society and technology plus powers equals a bunch of dead Galactics.''_

We both laughed for a second before Chance continued. I noticed that he looked deeply troubled about something.

_''Myra, please don't consider this creepy or weird... I have nobody else left. No human will recognize me and none would be so ready to believe a talking Ralts as you. I...''_

"Don't worry about it, Chance. You're still the best thing to happen to me in a while, and you're still my little Ralts! Nothing will change that! You're not the same person you were anymore. Nobody will bully you again, Chance. You've been given a chance to start over, and if I was in your shoes, I'd take it."

_''Thanks, Myra.''_

Chance then gave me the most passionate hug he had ever given me. In it I could sense joy, relief, happiness, and anticipation for what the future would bring. We both sat there on the bed, he in my lap, and me in the happiest state I had been for years. To think that he was still alive, and right under my nose!

"By the way, when we're out in public..."

_''Yeah?''_

"Don't talk to me with your psychic. Act like a normal Ralts unless it's an absolute emergency, ok?"

_''But why not? Nobody can hear it unless I direct the speech at multiple people, can they?''_

"It'd still look weird if somebody saw a girl saying seemingly random things to her Pokemon, wouldn't it?"

_''Yeah... you've got a point there, Myra. It's getting late, how about we turn in for the night?''_

"Sounds good! I'll go take a shower and be back in a bit!"

* * *

_Chance

* * *

_

Myra left the bedroom and went across to the bathroom and a couple of seconds later I could hear the muffled sound of the water. Feeling hungry, I decided to go downstairs and find something to eat. I turned left at the bathroom door where I could still hear the water vigorously pouring. However, when I looked at the stairs, my jaw dropped.

"Raalts!" I shouted as I saw that the stairs, which would be nothing short of simple for me as a human, were now almost as tall as me! I gingerly approached the staircase and climbed down the first step.

_"Heh, well this isn't so bad,"_ I said to myself as I made to go down the next step. However, my foot slipped, and I found myself rolling down the stairs!

"Raaaalts!" I screamed as I was in free roll down the stairs. I landed with a thud at the foot of the stairs.

"Oh my god, are you alright?" asked Dawn's mother, who was in a nightgown and coming out of the kitchen with a cup of coffee. I was going to answer her, when I remembered Dawn's warning.

_'Don't talk to me with your psychic. Act like a normal Ralts unless it's an absolute emergency, ok?'_

"Ralts," I said as I got up off of the floor and dusted myself off. I wished I could evolve into a Kirlia, and then into a tall Gallade; at least I wouldn't have problem with stairs...

A Gallade... heh, that would be cool. I'd never seen one before, but when I was a human, I always thought it would be pretty cool to be one, with the look of a Spartan general and those wicked wrist-blades that could be extended and retracted at will.

_"And now I could possibly get that chance, if I could only find a Dawn Stone."_

Yeah, that was the main problem with Trainers trying to get a Gallade. To become one, a male Kirlia had to hold a Dawn Stone. It wouldn't work for females, however, because apparently it was the genes of males that caused the transformation when exposed to a Dawn Stone. What's so troublesome about it, however, is that Dawn Stones are extremely rare. They rarely form; I remember in Geography that it can take as long as three years for a single stone to form. However, I swore to myself that as soon as we started traveling, I'd search for a Dawn Stone. From what I saw of Gardevoir, I could not imagine what a male Gardevoir would look like, but it wouldn't be pretty. I made a note to myself that when I got upstairs, I'd look at a picture of one.

Anyway, I went into the kitchen, but was instantly dismayed by the sheer size of it. The refrigerator

seemed about twenty feet tall and their barstools were more like trees to my astonished Ralts eyes. I had no idea how I was gonna find anything in this giant kitchen until...

_"Oh, silly Chance! You've got Psychic powers!"_

I tried to cast my Confusion on myself to lift my body up and onto the counter, but for some reason, I couldn't do it, so I used it on the shelves to pull them out and formed a small staircase. I climbed up and over them, and from those, I was on the kitchen cabinet. I walked over to the toaster where a box of Pop-Tarts was open.

_"This is too easy," _I said as I tried to tear open the thin, foil packaging. But as usual, my stubby Ralts hands failed me, so I had to grip half of the packaging between my hands and bite it open with my teeth. This worked and I put the Pop-Tarts in the toaster, then stepped down on the lever. After that, I set about finding me something that I could drink out of.

_"Problem is, when I get it, I won't be able to pick it up, especially if the glass is full. Maybe a bowl would do it?"_

I used my Confusion to open an overhead cabinet door, but I put too much power into it, and the door slammed against the wall, resulting in a loud 'Bang!'

I groaned and slapped my head as Myra's mom came in and saw the open cabinets, the toaster with its Pop-Tarts, and the cabinet door open.

"Well, er, Ralts... You do seem to have some trouble in the kitchen.

I pointed upwards at the overhead cabinet. "Ral ra ralts."

"You need a glass?"

I shook my head no and pointed at a bowl. "Ralt."

"What's the bowl for?"

I pointed at my stubby hands and made a motion of me dropping a glass, then of me drinking out of a bowl like I used to do when I would finish my cereal and there would be some milk left.

"Oh! You need it to drink out of!"

I nodded my head 'yes' and pointed at the fridge. "Ralt ra ral ra ralts ral."

"What do you want to drink, then?"

I pointed at the jug of milk, and then she went over and poured it into the bowl, which was set at my feet. After she left, the toaster went off with a 'ding!' and I removed the two pastries. Using my Confusion, I pulled a paper towel off the roll, but because I didn't put enough power into it, the towel lazily glided to the floor. Growling, I used Confusion again, but this time I put in so much it stuck to my face. Pulling it off, I put the two pastries on the towel and began to eat.

_"I'm gonna have to get used to Confusion before we leave to go hunt down Galactic,"_ I thought to myself through a bite of Pop-Tart. Thankfully, I managed to eat and drink without getting dirty this time.

Myra came into the kitchen in her usual pajamas, her green hair slightly moist. "Wow, Chance, how'd you get up there?"

"Ralts," I said as I pointed down.

_"I used Confusion to make a makeshift staircase. And your mother was really helpful in getting me a bowl of milk."_

"Nice!" she said. She couldn't answer me straight without looking weird for her mom was coming back in.

"Well, Myra," said her mother as she put the coffee cup in the dishwasher. "Have you decided on a name for him yet?"

"I've decided to call him Chance!"

"Chance... hmm... I like it! Good choice."

"Thanks Mom! I'm going to bed, see you in the morning," she said as she picked me up and put me on her shoulder. We went up the stairs and into her room, where she set me down on the bed before climbing in herself.

"Good night, Chance."

_"Good night, Myra."_

We went to sleep together, huddled up to one another for warmth, eagerly awaiting the dawn of a new day.

* * *

**This chapter may have been shorter, but it was meant to set up the plot of the story (Trust me, it won't be generic Shadow Pokemon! It's gonna have tons of twists! And no, you haven't seen the last of Adimaro!) as well as build on the bond between Chance and Myra. Also, there's going to be a lot of hilarious antics in the next chapter as Chance and Myra become closer and closer to one another. Please email me if you have found an accident or typo in the story or if you just want to give me in-depth critique. Also, clicking the button below helps motivate me to write. Thanks for reading this chapter of **_**Fading of the Light**_**!**

**-Skormorak

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**


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